Peyton Manning knows that for the Colts to get back to being themselves, he needs to play. After missing the entire season because of neck surgery, the Colts franchise quarterback acknowledged Sunday he has one goal. "Ive got to get healthy for me, for the team. Im under contract with the Colts. Thats my job is to get healthy for them," he told reporters after Sundays season-ending 19-13 loss at Jacksonville. "Its been hard not being able to help on the field this year." Manning had neck surgery Sept. 8, the third and most invasive procedure hed had in 19 months. Doctors fused two of Mannings vertebrae together, hoping that would fix a damaged nerve that caused weakness in Mannings throwing arm. With Manning, many expected the Colts to be a Super Bowl contender again. Without him, Indianapolis went through three different quarterbacks, lost its first 13 games and wound up with the No. 1 overall pick in Aprils draft -- the first time theyve had that selection since 1998 when they chose Manning over Ryan Leaf. Now they head into an off-season unlike any other in the Manning era. The Colts (2-14) finished with fewer than three wins for only the second time since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, and fans have been calling for the ouster of team vice chairman Bill Polian, general manager Chris Polian and coach Jim Caldwell. Manning is content to let team owner Jim Irsay make those decisions so he can continue working out, and Irsay wasnt dropping hints about his plans Sunday. "We wanted to win the game but we didnt," Irsay said. "Its Sunday afternoon at 4:15. Thats where we stand and obviously we wanted to come in and get a win. (Maurice) Jones-Drew is a great player and youve got to give him credit, but we wanted to finish with three (wins) in a row. Beyond that I dont have anything else to say right now on anything." The bigger questions involve Manning. Indys franchise quarterback didnt begin throwing to teammates until mid-December. Bill Polian, who watched the throwing session, and running back Joseph Addai, who caught some of the passes, both gave Manning good reviews. Two doctors who have performed fusions on athletes but did not treat Manning recently told The Associated Press that if the fusion was firmly healed, Manning should return to his usually high level of play next season. Dr. Robert Watkins, Mannings surgeon, issued a statement Dec. 1 saying the fusion had achieved "firm fixation." Irsay also must pay a US$28 million bonus to Manning in early March, risk losing him as a free agent or rework the $90-million, five-year deal the two sides signed in July. If Manning is healthy, Irsay has said Manning will remain a Colt -- regardless of the cost. Where is Manning in the rehab process? Bill Polian has said Manning will fail Mondays exit physical, a move that would actually help the Colts because Manning could continue working out at the team facility. Manning cautioned that nobody should read too much into the physical. "I could pass it," Manning said. "Im not sure how all that works. I think part of it is just paperwork. Thats all new to me. Theres a lot of things Ive learned this year. All thats been kind of new to me. Not rehabbing at the facility this off-season was certainly tough. You go to a place rehabbing and the lady next to you is getting her bunions worked on, asking if she should draft (Dallas) Clark on her fantasy team. Hard to rehab and deal with that." But all of those questions will go away if Manning can just get back to playing football. "Ive tried to be here. Ive encouraged guys. I try to give an idea here and there, but the best way for me to help over the years is by playing," Manning said. "Thats what I want, to get back, to be able to play on the field. Thats where my priority is." ------ Associated Press Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report. wholesale jerseys . Playing in her 12th Solheim Cup, the four-time major winner teamed up with Melissa Reid in the final fourball session to beat Americans Brittany Lang and Michelle Wie 4 and 3. cheap nfl jerseys . Matt Watsons goal in the 51st minute was the difference as the Whitecaps edged the University of Victoria Vikes 2-1 in exhibition play Sunday. http://www.cheapjerseyssafe.com/ . It came July 28 when the Calgary Stampeders running back ran for -1 yards on six carries in a 34-8 home loss to the B.C. Lions. That gave the native of New Westminster, B. jerseys from china . Finally. After years of losing and players finding trouble, the Indiana Pacers finally gave their fans something to really cheer about. cheap jerseys from china . The NHL and National Hockey League Players Association announced Thursday they are partnering with the You Can Play Project, an organization aimed at eliminating homophobia in athletics.NEW YORK -- Joined by superstars Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, player representatives from NBA teams are meeting Monday to discuss the leagues proposal for a new labour deal. If the player reps endorse it, it would go to a vote of all players. If approved by players and then ratified by owners, the lockout would end, and a 72-game season would start Dec. 15. But if the union leadership rejects the offer, the league is prepared to offer a harsher proposal -- one players wouldnt accept, possibly triggering a lengthy legal battle and certainly jeopardizing the 2011-12 season. Commissioner David Stern has urged players to take the deal on the table, saying its the best the NBA can offer and warned that decertification is not a winning strategy. The current proposal calls for a 50-50 division of basketball-related income. Players are still unhappy with what they believe are too many restrictions for big-spending teams that would limit their free agent options, but Stern said the proposal is far better for players than the one player reps said they would reject last week. Waiting is a proposal that calls for a 53-47 split of BRI in the owners favour, a flex cap with a hard ceiling and rollbacks for current salaries. Players could seek further tweaks to the current proposal before putting it to a vote, but Stern repeatedly has said the league is through negotiating. "I want to answer this diplomatically. The next time we meet to discuss anything, well be discussing the 47 per cent proposal," he told The Associated Press on Saturday. "This is it. Weve been negotiating this for 2 1/2 years. The owners authorized a revised proposal, and they said if its not acceptable and they want to keep negotiating, we present them with a 47 per cent, flex cap proposal.dddddddddddd They know it." Players also could vote to disband the union. Executive director Billy Hunter said last week he was aware that perhaps 200 players had signed a petition supporting it. But an antitrust lawsuit against the league would take months, so the best shot to play this season comes this week. Stern reminded players and fans of that Sunday during an Internet blitz. He and deputy commissioner Adam Silver took questions on Twitter, and the league posted a memo on its website that Stern sent to players with a breakdown of various deal points. He urged players to "study our proposal carefully, and to accept it as a fair compromise of the issues between us." The league has withdrawn its demands for a hard salary cap, salary rollbacks and non-guaranteed contracts during the negotiations. But players still fear some of the restrictions on teams over the luxury tax would act as a hard cap, which they vehemently oppose. Stern has blamed agents for the misinformation about the proposal that has spread since Thursday. So players were eager to get in the room with Hunter and union president Derek Fisher and get the full details themselves. Chris Duhon, Orlandos player rep, wrote on his Twitter feed that the Magic would accept the deal. "The main thing is not going in with any preconceived notions," Minnesota Timberwolves rep Anthony Tolliver said. "We need to understand the ins and outs of the deal. Its just like last week, where we didnt understand the full extent of the deal until we got in the room face-to-face and talked it through." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '